Second Chance
by Isis1
Summary: I got this idea from Once and Again. This is not a fan fiction, but my story with original plot and charcters. Just a long summary of the first Episode, to see if anyone out there would care to read it.
1. Default Chapter

I recieved this idea from Once and Again, which I sorely miss. So,   
  
imagine that there is another series, which is similar to Once and Again.   
  
This includes black and white interviews, they appear like this, so you will   
  
know the characters thoughts and feelings.   
  
-Insert Black and White Interview Here-   
  
If I anyone thinks it is good enough, saying that it would be a good   
  
series, I shall continue it with twenty two episodes. The theme song that I   
  
insert before every episode is called Second Chance, by Showoff. Now for a   
  
little bit of background:   
  
  
  
Hank Meade has been a widower for eight years. He owns a chain of   
  
bookstores named after his only daughter, Murphy Meade; seventeen years old.   
  
Two years ago, while on a buisness trip to oversee the building of the new   
  
Murphy's in Texas; he meets Elizabeth Allan. He never thought he would feel   
  
such a deep, profound love again . . .   
  
  
  
Elizabeth Allan is a divorcee, with three children. The eldest   
  
is Tobias Allan; fourteen years old, the middle child is Faith Allan;   
  
thirteen years old, and the youngest Hope Allan; eight years old. After   
  
her husband cheated on her, she never thought she could learn to forgive . . .   
  
Hank wants Elizabeth to move back with him to Oklahoma, along   
  
with all of her kids. The Allan kids are reluctant for the most part.   
  
Tobias is the intellectual of the family: he was anxious to be moved to   
  
skip over his Freshmen year to be a Sophormore. Faith is the loner of   
  
the family: she has never been very sociable, and has only one friend at   
  
her junior high in Texas. Hope Allan has been homeschooled, like her   
  
Brother and Sister before her, and is quite thrilled to be moiving to   
  
a new town. They all regret having to leave their Father behind. But,   
  
when they see his non-chalance at his own moving to Alabama - the kids   
  
have a bit of weight lifted of thier shoulders.   
  
Hank Meade has barely spoken to his daughter in two years.   
  
After being forced into Rehab for alcoholism, Murphy decided that she   
  
could no longer live with him any longer. No longer living at home,   
  
she resides with her Aunt in Louisana. After one year of living with   
  
her, she thinks that it is time that she goes back and faces Hank.   
  
What she does not know is that a barage of new people live with her   
  
Father.   
  
  
  
This story is about learning how to forgive - learning how   
  
to mature - but most of all learning how to love again. Every one   
  
needs a second chance; so when you get that second chance, do not   
  
waste it.  
  
What follows is a long summary of The Pilot:   
  
Second Chance.  
  
Episode One;  
  
The Pilot:   
  
This episode starts out with a shadowed room with all the characters   
  
present (black and white interview.) It resembles an AA meeting. Hank and   
  
Elizabeth introduce themselves, give their marital status, and introduce their   
  
kids. It seems to be a contest with the two adults to see who has the toughest   
  
time with raising a family. It seems that Liz would win, by being divorced,   
  
and having three kids: two teenagers, and an eight year old who she home schools.   
  
In this gathered interview, Hank lets Liz know that his daughter no longer   
  
lives with him  
  
It goes to a hotel in Texas (Liz's home state.) Liz is wounded that   
  
Hank did not tell her straight away that Murphy had all ready moved out. As   
  
well as a bit disgusted that a seventeen year old girl has to grow up without   
  
her Father. Hank explains that Murphy was an alcholic, and very rebellious.   
  
When she was fifteen he forced her into Rehab; she was there for one year.   
  
Then, when she got out she held it against him, so he allowed her to stay at   
  
her Aunt's (Hank's Sister.) He asks her to move back to Oklahoma with him,   
  
in hopes to further their relationship. Marriage seems very near in the future   
  
for the both of them.   
  
Liz tells her kids about Hank's 'proposal.' She lets them decide,   
  
discussing it thoroughly with them. Hope is enthusiastic. Faith is hesitant,   
  
but realizes that it would make her Mother very happy - so she agrees. Tobias   
  
is angry, as well as upset that his Mother could so easily just leave everything   
  
behind. He wants to live with his Dad (Red Allan.) Liz calls their Father,   
  
only to find out that he has plans of moving himself. Tobias begs to go with   
  
him, but Red says that he thinks it is best for him to go with his Mother.   
  
Liz and Red talk in the kitchen. They reminisce about how being married   
  
to one another was. Red seems to think that it was not all that bad. Then, Liz   
  
reminds him that he spent all his time at the firm. He missed birthdays,   
  
anniversaries, and missed Faith and Hope's birth. In a black and white   
  
interview Liz says that, "Red was at his greatest when I was pregnant with   
  
Tobias. He did not even want to have sex, in fear of hurting the baby. And,   
  
after Tobias was born, he carried him everywhere, and was extremely protective   
  
of him. Red didn't even want friends to hold him. About a year later I found   
  
out I pregnant with Faith. About this time, I found out that he was cheating   
  
on me with a lawyer friend of his. I threw him out, but eventually took him back.   
  
"I named Faith, Faith because I had faith that Red would change his   
  
ways. He kept cheating though, and every time I kept taking him back. I don't   
  
know why I did it. I think all children need a Father. When I was pregnant   
  
with Hope, he was staying at the firm more and more. He told me he had more   
  
responsibility, now that he was a partner. I named Hope, Hope because I still   
  
held out hope that Red would revert back to the man I fell for.   
  
"I was studying music in college when I met him, and he was studying   
  
law. Red's Father kicked him out when he was sixteen; he's lived on his own   
  
ever since. I saw him as a starving artist type of boy. He wore faded blue   
  
jeans, with holes in them all the time. He was poor, but he was brilliant.   
  
I always admired the way he took his life as white trash, and turned into a   
  
successful man. I was always the planner, the one who thought about what I   
  
did, and worried about what came after. He lived for the moment, and the only   
  
thing I ever saw him hold firm to was his work."   
  
Later the kids are alone in the shadowed room. They introduce   
  
themselves, give their family status, challenging one another at who has   
  
the most disfunctional family. A bit of humour is dwelled upon her,   
  
foreshadowing the dislike between Faith and Tobias toward Murphy. These   
  
group black and white interviews shed light on appearance, and personalities.   
  
Then, it jumps to a couple weeks later, while the Allan family are   
  
moving in. The Sunday before school starts, Murphy comes home. She tells   
  
her Father that she wants to live with him again, swearing that her boozing,   
  
partying, and racing days are over. She just wants to be a kid again, and not   
  
have to worry about disappointing him anymore. In a black and white interview she says,   
  
" I hated Him for the longest time. While I was in the clinic, I   
  
thought of a thousand ways to get back at him. I even started a list. But,   
  
eventually I found that I couldn't hate him; but, I couldn't forgive him either.   
  
And, I just couldn't stand be anywhere near him. When I got back from the clinic,   
  
I said some things to him that I hate myself for now. " Hank says that he is   
  
through with traveling all over to over see the building of new bookstores.   
  
He tells her that if he lets he come back that there will be a lot of rules,   
  
and she will have to stay clean. Hank, in a black and white interview says,   
  
"I never wanted to let her go in the first in the first place. After two years   
  
of hardly talking to her, and seeing her only a couple of times, I want her back."   
  
At first meeting, Tobias is immediately drawn to Murphy's bad girl   
  
image, developing a crush on her. In a black and white interview Tobias says,   
  
"Have you done something really stupid, knowing that it was stupid, but   
  
you still did it anyway? I knew it was idiotic of me to like her. I mean,   
  
for one she's three years older than me; two, she's bad ass girl with a guitar,   
  
while I'm the over-achiever - we're total opposites."   
  
Faith discloses in a black and white interview that, "I always   
  
wanted an older Sister. Someone I could talk to about the boys I liked,   
  
or ask them about stuff that I can't talk to Mom about."   
  
Hope is the most blunt, instantly following her around, asking her   
  
many questions in general. She says in a black and white interview, "Murphy   
  
is so cool. She didn't just ignore me when I asked her stuff like my Brother   
  
and Sister do."   
  
Liz does not want to judge by appearance, but she can't help it   
  
with what Hank has told her. Liz confides in a black and white interview,   
  
"I took one look at this girl, and I knew she more than rebellious, like   
  
Hank had told me. All I could think was as she announced that she was   
  
going out to have a cigarette, was God, I don't want her around my kids."   
  
Much to Tobias and Faith's dismay, Murphy seems cold to them.   
  
Murphy shakes the Allan's hands, and bitterly welcomes them to her   
  
"humble abode," then she adds, "don't take any of my stuff." The   
  
adults go off to finish unpacking, leaving the youngsters to get to   
  
know each other. Murphy goes outside, Hope following her every step,   
  
to unpack her own belongings.   
  
In Hank and Liz's room, they think the kids like each other well   
  
enough. Hank jokes that he has not heard Murphy screaming, or killing   
  
anyone yet, but to give it time. Liz laughs, and adds that Tobias has   
  
not slammed any doors, or threatened to run away - so all must be well -   
  
for now. He goes on to tell her that it is cute that Hope seems quite   
  
taken with Murphy, and hopes that Murphy gets a taste to what its like   
  
to be driven out of her mind.   
  
The kids sit around in the living room. Murphy noticing that Faith   
  
is reading one of her books, frankly tells her that she cannot go into the   
  
her attic library without her permission. And, she is not to take any books   
  
from there - ever again. Then, Murphy lays down some "ground rules" to the   
  
girls: they cannot go into her room, cannot borrow her clothes, or anything   
  
thing else that belongs to her. Tobias finds out that Murphy plays the guitar   
  
also, and tries to capture her attention by this fact. Murphy shrugs it off,   
  
and takes over the television. After a tongue-lashing from Murphy, Faith and   
  
Tobias go sulk in their own rooms. Later, when they hear screaming from Hope,   
  
they rush to see what is happening; only to find Murphy tickling her over a   
  
game a Monopoly. They both are jealous, as well as miffed that she could be   
  
so cold to them, yet obviously favour their younger Sister.   
  
Hank and Liz decide that they want to out to dinner with all the kids.   
  
When they ask the kids to go, all decline, except for Hope. Hank looks   
  
disapprovingly at Murphy, but she makes her way quickly to the basement.   
  
Liz pleads with Faith and Tobias one last time to go out with them. They   
  
both give their Mother the cold shoulder, saying there is nothing to celebrate.   
  
A bit disappointed, Liz and Hank decide to take Hope to Peter Piper's Pizza.   
  
Sometime later, Tobias hears music coming from the basement. He   
  
watches her without Murphy knowing, as she plays her guitar and sings.   
  
Murphy seems calm at first at him eavesdropping, then goes back to territorial   
  
mode. Murphy warns him not touch the instruments in the basement (the basement   
  
has a large stereo, with a gigantic collection of music from various genres,   
  
also, it is a place for Murphy's band to practice. The room has a couple of   
  
guitars, amps, and a drumset that belong to her band.)  
  
Tobias seems to see Murphy in a different light, as she says that   
  
he can look through her cds and "borrow some if he wants." Then, they start   
  
discussing who the greatest guitarist was. Tobias looks up to Jimmi Hendrix,   
  
while Murphy idolizes Elvis Presley. The light conversation turns into a big   
  
debate on music. Murphy likes things from the olden days: Jazz (Ella   
  
Fitzgerald) Country (Hank Williams), Old Punk (The Clash) Tobias admits   
  
that he cannot stand Jazz; Country is just all about drinking, cheating   
  
spouses, and old dogs dying; Punk is all about beating people up, while   
  
sporting a mowhawk, and "idiotic jumping around." Murphy, then accuses   
  
Tobias of only liking whatever any of the "popular" people like. Tobias   
  
shoots back that she is a spoiled brat, who needs to get her "head out of   
  
her ass", and stop acting like she knows every "god-damned" thing. Murphy   
  
retorts that she was here first, so, to "go to hell, and take his slut-Mother   
  
with him." He punches her, storming out of the house.   
  
This is where Tobias meets two boys in the park, (Henson Campbell   
  
and Montgomery "Monty" Williams) who share the same interests as him. He   
  
decides that he is going to run away to Alabama to live with his Father.   
  
But, Henson and Montgomery, instantly liking Tobias, try and talk him out   
  
of it. They stand around the park for a while. Finally, Tobias shouts why   
  
should he stay when both his Sisters are in league against him, a Mother who   
  
could care less about him at the moment, and a "probably soon to be step-Sister   
  
from hell." Henson shrugs, saying that there is never anything "kicking"   
  
around in Sweetwood, Okie; Monty adds that "it's too boring here, and thinks   
  
that Tobias might be able to kick-up a little dust. Because it seems like   
  
his house if full of drama." "Yeah," Henson adds, "pretty soon you and   
  
step-Sis will be painting a line right down the center of the house like   
  
in bad television." They all laugh, and instantenously become friends.   
  
As nightfalls, Liz is worried about Tobias. Meanwhile, Faith is   
  
un-eagerly getting things ready for her first day of school tomorrow morning.   
  
Then midnight comes, which causes Liz to question her choice about moving.   
  
She even starts to consider letting Hank go, and move back to Texas. Hank   
  
calms her down from her tears then, seeks out Murphy to see if she has seen   
  
Tobias. She tries to dance around that she was the last to see him, and   
  
the reason that he left. But, when Hank sees the outlines of a black eye,   
  
he begins to get suspicious. Eventually Murphy tells him that they got   
  
into a fight, and he ran off. Hank begins to lecture her, telling Murphy   
  
that maybe she should go back to live with Cecealy (Hank's Sister.) Just   
  
about that time, Liz's yelling interrupts them.   
  
Hank and Muphy walk in on Liz crying, and hugging Tobias. Tobias   
  
desperately tries to disentangle himself from Liz's grasp. She questions   
  
his reasons for running off, where he was, what he was doing, and who he   
  
was with. He looks at Murphy, and she thinks that he is going to tell of   
  
what was said earlier. Murphy seems truly sorry for her words and actions.   
  
Tobias lies, saying he went to the park, met some guys and they lost track   
  
of time playing basketball. Liz seems skeptical, but knows that he is a   
  
good kid, so she decides to let him off the hook - "this time."   
  
They all head off to bed, but Murphy pulls Tobias back. She   
  
apologizes, saying that it is a lot to handle to come back home after   
  
two years and find strangers living in her house. In a black and white   
  
interview she says, "I say a lot of things that I don't mean. And, I do   
  
a lot of things that I don't mean to do." Tobias sympathizes, telling her   
  
that it is a lot to handle to leave his Dad, friends, and his home. In a   
  
black and white interview, he says, "I do a lot of things I don't want to   
  
do, but I do them anyway." They share a smile, and she asks, "will I get   
  
my ass kicked if I offer to drive you to school tomorrow?" All seems well   
  
for oldest children living in the house.   
  
As Murphy makes her way to her bedroom, Hank calls to her so he   
  
can talk with her. She tries to weasel her way out of it, complaining   
  
that she needs her beauty rest. Hank tells her that he over heard what   
  
she and Tobias were talking about. He tells her he does not want to know   
  
why Tobias hit her, but that he is proud of her for trying to make amends.   
  
The Father and Daughter talk some more about past mistakes. They promise each   
  
other to change their ways, and not go back to the way it was a few years ago.   
  
A heart felt moment is shared between the two by Murphy asking Hank to tell   
  
her how he met her Mother like he used to do when she was younger. He tucks   
  
her into bed. Hank leaves her with a bit of wisdom, by telling her that,   
  
"everyone deserves a second chance, Murph, but when they get it, they should   
  
not waste it." "Are you giving me a second chance, Daddy?" she asks.   
  
"I'm giving us a second chance."   
  
The End. 


	2. The Pilot Episode 101

There is a shadowed room where soft glow bulbs barely show the   
  
outlines of a few rows of people sitting down. The room is silent and   
  
it appears that all the people present have their heads bowed in some sort   
  
of shame. Suddenly, all of the bulbs are extinguished. A spotlight comes   
  
from above, illuminating a tall man, with black, unkempt hair, and a few   
  
wrinkles are scattered over his face. All in all the man appears to be   
  
middle-aged, and attractive with sorrowful hazel eyes. He tentatively   
  
stands, looking around nervously. Clearing his throat, he takes a deep breath.   
  
"Hank Meade; Age Forty-three; Widower; One seventeen year old daughter.   
  
Enough said,"   
  
The spotlight dissipates, then quickly finds its way to another  
  
nervous person. It is a woman, middle-aged, dirty blonde hair tied into a   
  
high ponytail, round dark blue eyes, and her face is touched with beginnings   
  
of crow's feet at the corners of those eyes. But, anyone could see that she   
  
was still able to turn many heads. She holds her chin high, attempting to   
  
show that she is very confident, but she wrings her hands in fear.   
  
"Elizabeth Allan; Age Thirty-nine; Divorced; One fourteen year old son;   
  
Two daughters, the oldest is fixing to turn thirteen, and the youngest just   
  
turned eight. I think I just won, Hank,"   
  
Almost unanimously four people slap their foreheads, the sound   
  
echoing in the shadowed room. Two spotlights land on both Elizabeth and   
  
Hank. They squint their eyes, painfully, trying to get their eyes to adjust   
  
to the light. They look at one another, coldly.   
  
"Did I mention that my daughter doesn't even live with me anymore?"   
  
An agonizing groan comes from behind them. Elizabeth is clearly   
  
startled, having a betrayed look upon her face.   
  
Second Chance  
  
As your heart engulfs mine time will speak unspoken words.  
  
And as true love is hard to find, desperate tears fall from my eyes.  
  
And you want to go on your own.  
  
And tomorrow you'll need me.  
  
Every time you go away -  
  
Every time you go away -  
  
Every time you go away - my heart breaks.  
  
And as distance becomes clear, shadows cast their memories.  
  
And as true love is what I fear, you're love brings me to my knees.  
  
And you want to go on your own.  
  
And tomorrow you'll need me.  
  
Every time you go away -  
  
Every time you go away -  
  
Every time you go away - my heart breaks.  
  
And the first time that I saw you, I was burning with desire.  
  
And the last time that I saw you, you put out the fire.  
  
And you want to go on your own.  
  
And Tomorrow you'll need me.  
  
Every time you go away -  
  
Every time you go away -  
  
Every time you go away - my heart breaks.  
  
Episode One; The Pilot  
  
  
  
Hank Meade and Elizabeth Allan laid side by side under the soft   
  
covers of an even softer bed. They were in a Honeymoon suite, which   
  
Elizabeth found cozy. They both stared idly at the ceiling, as if   
  
expecting that at any time it would come crashing down onto them.   
  
Elizabeth found it hard to even think properly after what Hank just   
  
told her. He had mentioned his daughter, quite a lot actually, and   
  
found it alarming that he had left this little tidbit of information   
  
out. So, Elizabeth responded as any other intelligent woman would.   
  
"Huh?"   
  
"I told you about Murphy, Liz - she's . . . " he trailed off, trying   
  
to find an appropriate word to describe his only daughter.   
  
"Rebellious is the word you used often,"   
  
"Yeah," responded Hank, wincing slightly.   
  
-I don't think rebellious even begins to describe Murphy.-   
  
Elizabeth rolled on her side to face Hank. She sighed, longingly,   
  
while she traced patterns on his bare chest. Feeling hurt from his lack of   
  
trust on her part, she laid her head against his chest. Soon their breathing   
  
became a mirror image of one another. She wanted to press him on the matter -   
  
get him to tell her why Murphy no longer lived with him.   
  
"I didn't want her to go. It was her choice to go live with my Sister in   
  
Louisiana." Hank started, pulling Elizabeth closer to him, "Liz, she was an   
  
alcoholic - a drunk at thirteen."   
  
-I didn't even know that thirteen year olds new what beer or whiskey   
  
was; I didn't when I was that age. All I wanted to do was play baseball.   
  
Regardless of whether or not it actually was my fault: God knows I wasn't   
  
around as much as I should have been - I blamed myself. All I did, extending   
  
the bookstores all over the U.S., was for her. I wanted her to grow up in a   
  
big mansion, with at least twenty different rooms to choose from. I didn't   
  
want her to grow up poor like I did, living in a two bedroom trailer that leaked   
  
when it rained, and roof that popped when it got too windy.-   
  
Elizabeth was far beyond shocked, she hoped he was embellishing -   
  
even if it was just a little. One of her own daughters was thirteen, and   
  
she refused to believe that her girl would even go near wine coolers. But,   
  
as the divorced woman glanced at her lover's solemn face, and heard his even   
  
more strained voice; she knew that he was not lying - not to her - never to her.   
  
For more than a year they had been seeing one another. It was by   
  
chance that they had met. Hank Meade was a wealthy man: he owned a chain   
  
of bookstores called Murphy's. The the main store was in his home town,   
  
Sweetwood, Oklahoma. But, soon he found that his business flourished so much,   
  
that he felt the need to open another, and another, and another, and another . . .   
  
-Hank looked so out of place when I first saw him. It was at the   
  
construction site of the new Murphy's he's having built here in Texas. He   
  
was dressed in a dark business suit, wildly exclaiming to large, strong,   
  
angry looking construction workers that they were doing a shoddy job.   
  
Except in not so nice words. I think when he got punched the third time,   
  
my heart went out to him.-   
  
"What happened - I mean, what did you do?"   
  
"What could I do," he exclaimed, in an angry huff, "I sent my fifteen   
  
year old little girl into rehab. Then, when she came back she wanted   
  
to move in with my Sister Ceceally."   
  
"And, you let her?" Elizabeth asked, increadouously.   
  
Hank sat up, abruptly, causing Elizabeth to fall from of him.   
  
She felt burdened at the moment: one, she had thought she had known this   
  
man who had met her kids, and actually liked them; two, her heart went out   
  
to him once more when she saw the pained expression he wore.   
  
"I had a library made out of our attic when she was seven, furnishing   
  
it with any book she asked for. I gave her a '64 Camaro when she was   
  
thirteen, and let her drive it even though she didn't have a permit."   
  
he paused, sighing heavily. "So, when she told me that she hated me for   
  
sending her to rehab, and that Ceceally understood her - I subserved,   
  
and let her go."   
  
-I was a Daddy's girl, plain and simple. If I wanted anything, or   
  
to go anywhere, I asked my Father. I just never found that safety and comfort   
  
when I was near my Mother.-   
  
"Do you hate me? For keeping this from you, I mean?" asked Hank, looking   
  
like a lost a puppy.   
  
Surprising Hank, Elizabeth laughed and patted the place beside   
  
her. They laid in one another's arms, listening to one another breathe.   
  
Ritualistically, he stroked her hair, smiling at the silkiness of it.   
  
"Of course not,"   
  
"Good. Then when I ask you to move in with, I want you not to hate me   
  
for that, either,"   
  
Elizabeth opened her eyes wide, with a near gasp. She did not think   
  
she had heard Hank correctly. Did he just ask me to move in with him - to   
  
Oklahoma, she thought. Wanting nothing more than to plant kisses all over   
  
him, she hugged him tightly. Only then, did Hank breathe a sigh of relief.   
  
He knew now that she was all for moving. But . . .   
  
-The kids won't like it. They won't want to move - not away from   
  
their friends - not away from their Father. But, I want to move; I want   
  
to be with the man I love. I'm selfish, I know.-   
  
"Does this mean you want all of us to move with you?" asked Elizabeth, leerily.   
  
"Everyone," he confirmed, "you, Tobias, Faith, and Hope - even your   
  
thirteen year old cat."   
  
-That's one of the things I think I like most about him. He actually   
  
likes my kids. I mean, they're my kids and I love them more than life itself -   
  
but sometimes I think; did they actually come from me: I was never like that.   
  
I think.-   
  
She chose her words carefully, not wanting what she was about to say to   
  
come out the wrong way. Turning her head so that she could view his entire face,   
  
Elizabeth sadly smiled. Hank knew that smile all too well. He feared the worst   
  
when she looked at him like that. She was about to say something that he might   
  
not be able to handle . . .   
  
"I want you to know that I want to go with you," Hank brightened, then moments   
  
later his face sunk, "but if the kids don't want to leave, I don't want to force   
  
them - and I won't leave them to their Father."   
  
Solemnly, Hank nodded, and pulled her to him to kiss her. It   
  
was the kiss like they had had so many times: ardour, hope, and fear all   
  
in one. Neither had expected to love anyone - at least not for a very, very   
  
long time. Hank briefly thought of his deceased wife, even her image brought   
  
him a little slice of pain. Elizabeth had been divorced for years, and even   
  
her ex-husband's car parked in her drive way made her wince.   
  
-I want Liz to live in my house. I want to wake up to see her   
  
sleeping next to me. I want to eat breakfast with her. I want to come home   
  
and have dinner with her, and for her tell me about her bad days. And, I want   
  
her to give me back rubs; she has soft hands, god, I love those hands.-  
  
-I want to live with Hank. I want to be in arms as we sleep. I want   
  
to make him dinner - breakfast - even just a bowl of popcorn. I want him to   
  
complain about the imbociles he has to work with. And, I want him to rub my   
  
feet; he has long magical fingers, god, I love those fingers.-   
  
The shadowed room is not quite as full as it was before. Four   
  
people sit in wooden folding chairs, surrounded by flickering soft glow   
  
bulbs. All have their heads down cast, their faces are masked in blankness.   
  
Abruptly, all of the lights go out. The spotlight breaks through the darkness,   
  
landing on a boy with very blonde hair, deep, grey eyes, and thin lips. He   
  
groans as he stands up. Clearing his throat loudly, he shuffles his feet while   
  
looking at them.   
  
"Tobias Allan; Age fourteen; Divorced parents; First bourn,"   
  
The spotlight fades, then hits a girl that sat beside him. Tobias   
  
sits down, shaking his head. Frowing, the young girl stands up. Her dirty   
  
blonde hair is in a high pony-tail; her baby blue eyes dance around the   
  
shadowed room. Holding her chin high in defiance, yet she wrings her hand   
  
together, nervously.   
  
"Faith Allan; Age thirteen; Divorced parents; Middle child. Check,"   
  
She quickly sits down, and the spotlight goes to an even younger   
  
girl. Anxiously, the girl stands up, boucing slightly on her feet. She   
  
pulls on her very long brown hair, her chocolate brown eyes wide with glee.   
  
Tobias and Faith shake their heads in unison.   
  
"Hope Allan; Age eight; Divorced parents; The baby of the family,"   
  
Hope plops down on her chair, the spotlight lingering on her   
  
longer. All goes dark for a while, then the spotlight lands on a girl   
  
whose sleeping with her mouth open. She quickly stands up, running a   
  
hand through dark red, unkempt hair, her hazel green eyes glance around   
  
the room.   
  
"Murphy Meade; Age sixteen; Single parent - dead Mother; Only child.   
  
Check, and mate,"   
  
She sits back down, a satisfied grin on her face. The spotlight   
  
disappears and the room becomes one big, dark shadow once more. All is   
  
silent, leaving an uneasy quietness. It is broken by even snoring. Two   
  
distinct groans are heard.   
  
Tobias Allan glared at his Mother. If looks could kill, she   
  
would have been dead nine times over. Elizabeth kept her face passive,   
  
hoping that her son would not keep looking at her: he made her feel guilty.   
  
Faith Allan looked from her older Brother to her Mother, wishing that she   
  
could run to her room and scream into her pillow. Hope Allan had all ready   
  
ran to her room - to begin packing that is. Both teenagers looked solemn -   
  
solemn and grief-stricken.   
  
"Well don't look so excited about it," Elizabeth commented, sarcastically.   
  
-What did I expect? Them to jump up and down, and plan a going   
  
away party?-   
  
"At least say something." she begged. "Tell me what you think - what   
  
you feel."   
  
Tobias scoffed at this. He thought this was a big joke, just a   
  
big joke, and suddenly his Mother was going to jump up saying she was not   
  
serious. But, the look on her face gave him the realization that this was   
  
just about as serious as it gets. Faith stared at Tobias, hoping he was   
  
going to voice their obivious dis-pleasure at the idea of moving to another   
  
state - home - school. Faith shuddered at the thought.   
  
"What do you want us to say, Mom? Oh, yes Mom, we've always wanted to   
  
leave our friends, Dad, and our entire lives behind just so you can be   
  
happy," Tobias bit off, angrily.   
  
-I deserved that. I have been selfish this past year, but I   
  
have been there for them, haven't I?-  
  
"Faith, you haven't said anything. What do you think?"   
  
Faith blanched, and studied her tennis shoes as if they were ever   
  
so interesting. She heard Tobias' shoe tapping incessantly: he wanted his   
  
Sister to back him up. Frankly, Faith was torn. She did not think moving   
  
would be so terrible; a lot of kids move. But, she did not want to leave her   
  
best friend - her only friend, but most of all she did not want to leave her   
  
Father.   
  
-It's like, Tobias always has to make me choose between him and Mom.   
  
So what if he resents her, that doesn't mean I have to. And, it doesn't mean   
  
I have to take his side everytime they start arguing.-  
  
Elizabeth studied her daughter's form for a while. She could tell   
  
that she was pondering whether or not she was going to hurt anyones feelings   
  
with what she wanted to say. Elizabeth sighed, lamentfully. Knowing this   
  
was not going to be easy, she at least hoped that they would a bit more   
  
agreeable. Though, she smiled to think of how Hope was happy.   
  
-I home schooled all my kids until it was time for them to go into   
  
junior high. I did not think that learning that Christopher Columbus discoverd   
  
America, which isn't true, six times over was good for them. It's when you're   
  
in junior high, that you make friends - break friends - learn the nastiness of   
  
rumors - discover who you think you are. I hated junior high.-  
  
"Mom," Faith started, hesitantly, "I don't want to move."   
  
Tobias smirked a little, and reminded himself that he would have to   
  
be nicer to Faith more often. Faith could feel her Mother's face drop, even   
  
though she was not even looking at her. But, Faith was not finished, so she   
  
quickly finished her line of thoughts.   
  
"But, I don't want you to be un-happy, either. And, I know that Hank makes   
  
you - happy, so moving in with him would make you really happy, right?"  
  
Elizabeth peered at her daughter, perplexed beyond belief. She had   
  
no idea at what Faith was getting at. And, this intrigued her more and more.   
  
Faith still studied her shoes, but found that she was gaining courage by the   
  
moment. Swiftly, she looked up and met her Mother's gaze.   
  
"I don't want to take that away from you. So, if you really want to do   
  
this - I'll go, too,"   
  
-When did my baby become so caring - thoughtful - smart? When did   
  
Faith become so . . .-  
  
"Oh, Faith . . . "   
  
Elizabeth was at lost for words. She thought she could just hug and   
  
kiss her daughter and never stop. That was two down for the woman, now all   
  
she needed was Tobias . . .   
  
-Sometimes I think the whole world exists to kick me in the face.   
  
I am not moving away from friends. I am not moving away from Dad. I am not   
  
moving away from Texas. Period.-   
  
"Fine," Tobias yelled, standing up, "I'll just move in with Dad. And, you   
  
can go live in Oklahoma with perfect Hank, and his perfect business, and a   
  
have a perfect life without me!"   
  
So, Tobias ran down to the basement, his new room. He had to beg   
  
his Mother for two months before she agreed to let him have it. He did not   
  
see the big deal about turning the garage into a bedroom: there was nothing   
  
but boxes, dust, and mold down there. And, he was just getting his room the   
  
way he liked it.   
  
Tobias pointedly slammed his door, running down the stairs two   
  
at a time. He threw himself on his bed, reaching underneath it to take   
  
out his portable cd player. Quicky, he turned it on, studying his room.   
  
His orbs lingered on a poster of Jemmi Hendrix. The boy threw his cd player   
  
back under his bed, not bothering to turn it off. He grabbed for his guitar   
  
that laid beside his night stand. Tobias began to play a well-memorized song.   
  
And, suddenly, life did not seem half as bad.   
  
Dinner was quiet, while tension hung in the air like death. Faith   
  
tolerated her little Sister's ramblings about the move. She offered a nod,   
  
and a little bit of information she had just read about Oklahoma. Tobias,   
  
in the meanwhile, pushed his food around his plate. His music had calmed him   
  
down, but only momentarily. He could feel his Mother's gaze lingering on him,   
  
while strained dinner-chat insued.   
  
"Mommy, when are we gonna' move?" Hope asked, turning her attention away   
  
from Faith.   
  
Elizabeth eyed her youngest daughter, with a look of hope. If she   
  
could be anxious about the move, maybe the other two would follow.   
  
"Not for another couple of weeks,"   
  
Tobias, angrily threw is fork down on his plate. The sound echoed   
  
through out the dining room. All three females looked at him - quite shocked   
  
at his ouburst. He slowly lifted his head, meeting his Mother's eyes.   
  
Blanching, Elizabeth averted her eyes: Tobias looked so cold at the moment -   
  
no emotion but contempt was there.   
  
"Have you even told Dad, yet, Mother?"   
  
"I'm calling him tonight Tobias, and don't talk to me like that," she   
  
warned, meeting his eyes agian.   
  
"Then, I won't talk to you at all - may I be excused. I have a lot of   
  
packing to do,"  
  
Elizabeth nodded solemnly, following Tobias with her eyes as he walked   
  
out of the room. Suddenly, she did not seem so hungry, and it seemed that   
  
Faith was in the same state of mind. Faith did not want to look at her Mother   
  
at the moment. She was frightened - frightened that if she left she would   
  
never see her Father again.   
  
"May I be excused, too?" asked Faith.   
  
-Am I doing the right thing? Just pack up and leave? I have nothing   
  
left here - but the kids . . . -  
  
Faith hesitantly walked down to her Brother's room. She wondered if   
  
she could even look him in the eye. Any other time she would have knocked, but   
  
she needed to talk to him - to someone who would relate to what she was feeling.   
  
As she reached the end of the stairs, she saw Tobias throwing CDs into a box. The   
  
loud thud of plastic hitting plastic let her know that he was far more than irked.   
  
"Tobias?"   
  
"What?!" he yelled, stopping in mid-throw.   
  
"That's my CD,"   
  
"Oh," he changed his tone instantly, then tossed the CD in the box anyway.   
  
She made her way over to his bed and plopped down. Faith sighed, then   
  
rested her head on her hand, and continued to watch Tobias mercilessly thrown   
  
objects into a box. Tobias was angry - a little bit at his Sister - but, it was   
  
mostly at his Mother. He closed the box, duct-taping it securely, then sat   
  
beside Faith.   
  
-This past year, all my Mom has done is think about herself. I wonder   
  
if she even realizes I exist anymore?-  
  
"Are you really going to move in with Dad, Tobias?"   
  
"Yeah," he says, blandly.   
  
"Oh," Faith says, not hiding her hurt at her Brother's nonchalance.   
  
Elizabeth dialed her ex-husband's number, and as it rang, she hung up   
  
abruptly. She did not know why she was afraid of telling Red Allan that she   
  
was going to move. Then, it came to her: he would not like having his children   
  
away from him. Elizabeth sighed, telling herself that it was now or never. As   
  
she went to reach for the phone, it rang, startling her. Hesitantly, she picked   
  
it up.   
  
"Hello?" it was Red.   
  
"Elizabeth," he said, choosing his words carefully, "I'm moving - to Alabama.   
  
There's a bigger firm that offered me a partner ship."   
  
-Red was always one to get straight to the point when he had something   
  
bad to say. I, on the other hand, am a coward when it comes to breaking bad news.-   
  
"Oh," she was lost for words.   
  
She sat down on a stool near the phone, tapping her fingers on it.   
  
She found it ironic that they would both be leaving the town that they had met   
  
in. But, their marriage had ended a few years ago. It only seemed right that   
  
they leave the past behind. Only it was not that simple for Elizabeth: she was   
  
thinking of her children's well being; they had to leave everything and start a   
  
new.   
  
"Red, I think you should come over - I have some things to say, that I don't   
  
want to say over the phone,"   
  
"Liz?"   
  
"Please, Red - I need you to come over,"   
  
"Well, I was kind of busy . . ." Elizabeth cut him off.   
  
"Tobias needs you to come over, too," she said with urgency.   
  
"Okay - okay," Red subserved.   
  
She hung up the phone, feeling still heavy with guilt, and anxiousness.   
  
In a couple of weeks she would not see this house again. She would never use the   
  
phone she just had, or eat in the dining room once more. But, Elizabeth felt   
  
that if she could feel so much love for Hank, that surely everything would fall   
  
into place.   
  
Red Allan walked to the house that he once considered his own. He   
  
recalled when he had bought it; he had carried Elizabeth over the thresh hold,   
  
even though they had been married for a couple of years. Pausing, to knock at   
  
the door, he thought of just coming in. Then, he thought better of it, and   
  
knocked. He heard a distant voice telling him to come in; he walked into the   
  
house, taking a deep breath.   
  
Normally, he would have come over later, because he was busy. But,   
  
something in his ex-wife's voice told him to come over at her urgent request.   
  
Hearing the soothing sound of water flowing, Red made his way to the kitchen.   
  
He found her washing dishes, ritualistically. He cleared his throat, and she   
  
turned. Even after all the years he had known her, he still was captivated by   
  
her natural beauty. Red studied Elizabeth momentarily, drinking in all of her   
  
simple garb of slacks and a button down shirt; even the face that there was no  
  
make-up on, made him wince.   
  
-She never wore any make-up. Elizabeth never needed it. I think   
  
that was one of the reasons I loved her: her ability to throw away trivial   
  
things.-   
  
Red walked to the sink, and started to dry off the dishes she was   
  
washing. There was never a stressed silence between them after the divorce.   
  
They had been good friends even before they had started dating, and remained   
  
so after. Yet, now the leaving of quietness in the air - it felt uncomfortable.   
  
Elizabeth sighed.   
  
"I'm moving to Oklahoma with Hank," she broke through the solitude of silence,   
  
"but Tobias wanted to live with you."   
  
-Moving to Oklahoma? I thought that she would stay . . . I mean,   
  
she would be far away with me in Alabama, but I thought she would always   
  
be here.-   
  
"And, Faith and Hope - they're okay with this?" he asked, hiding the   
  
trepidation he felt within.   
  
"Hope actually seems very anxious, while Faith is indifferent,"   
  
He held his tongue. Red was afraid that if he spoke now, he   
  
would beg her to come with him - beg her to take him back. But, no,   
  
he could not do that - this time she was marble. It saddened him to   
  
think that it was another man that had chiseled her. He dried a bowl,   
  
and sat it aside waiting for her to speak again.   
  
"You have to tell Tobias tonight, he's all ready started packing, and   
  
stopped speaking to me," Elizabeth lowered her voice.   
  
"I know, I was going to tell them all tomorrow, but I guess - when do you   
  
leave?" he hated the way his voice came out weak.   
  
"In a couple of weeks. I suppose you won't be there to see us off," it   
  
was a statement.   
  
The glass that he had been holding, dropped to the floor. Shards   
  
of glass pooled around both of their feet. Red became angry at her last   
  
remark. It seemed as though everytime they spoke, she had to remind him   
  
of his ineptness. Long ago had he stopped apologizing: sorries just did   
  
not work, and they always sounded hallow coming from him anyhow.   
  
"Was it really that bad, Liz? Being married to me?"   
  
-I know I was a screw up, but isn't being sorry enough? Sorry may   
  
not make it better, but isn't it the thought that counts?-  
  
-He was screw up. And, being sorry isn't enough. After a while   
  
sorry looses its meaning.-   
  
Elizabeth turned off the water, walking to the table to sit down.   
  
Red finished drying a plate, following her. They sat across from one another,   
  
merely looking at each other. Both wanted to look anywhere but each other's   
  
faces, yet they were compelled to gawk.   
  
"Not all of it was bad, Red," Elizabeth sighed, "but, there was more bad   
  
than good."   
  
"I know I missed so much, and I regret that, I do, Liz . . . " he was   
  
interrupted.   
  
"I don't think you realized just what exactly you did miss, Red. You spent   
  
all your time at your firm, giving no thought to birthdays, anniversaries,   
  
and both of your daughter's birth. There aren't enough sorries in the world   
  
for what you did,"   
  
-Red was at his greatest when I was pregnant with Tobias. He did   
  
not even want to have sex, in fear of hurting the baby. And, after Tobias   
  
was born, he carried him everywhere, and was extremely protective of him.   
  
Red didn't even want friends to hold him. About a year later I found out I   
  
was pregnant with Faith. About this time, I found out that he was cheating   
  
on me with a lawyer friend of his. I threw him out, but eventually took him back.-   
  
"What do you want me say. I know that sorry isn't good enough for you. But,   
  
all that time I spent working late into the morning, bought everything you see   
  
here," he motioned with his hands.   
  
"You can't buy forgiveness,"   
  
- I named Faith, Faith because I had faith that Red would change his   
  
ways. He kept cheating though, and every time I kept taking him back. I don't   
  
know why I did it. I suppose I think all children need a Father. When I was   
  
pregnant with Hope, he was staying at the firm more and more. He told me he   
  
had more responsibility, now that he was a partner. I named Hope, Hope because   
  
I still held out hope that Red would revert back to the man I fell for.   
  
I was studying music in college when I met him, and he was studying   
  
law. Red's Father kicked him out when he was sixteen; he's lived on his own   
  
ever since. I saw him as a starving artist type of boy. He wore faded blue   
  
jeans, with holes in them all the time. And, he never cared a thing about   
  
his beautiful black hair. And, his eyes - God, his eyes . . . He was poor,   
  
but he was brilliant. I always admired the way he took his life as white   
  
trash, and turned into a successful man. I was always the planner, the one   
  
who thought about what I did, and worried about what came after. He lived   
  
for the moment, and the only thing I ever saw him hold firm to was his work.-  
  
"But, it's not my forgiveness you need, because I've done that along time   
  
ago. I won't forget, though, and it's those babies sleeping upstairs that   
  
need you. If you leave, try and come down to visit them every now and then,"   
  
With that Elizabeth stood up, and strode proudly out of the   
  
kitchen. Red watched her go, and it reminded him of how he had watched   
  
her go years ago. He supposed he had always held out hope that she would   
  
run back into his arms. But, now he knew - knew that there was nothing he   
  
could do to make him seem bathed in a golden light once more.   
  
-She was always the one that was there. Every night, or morning   
  
that I got home, she was there. I would come into our bedroom, and she   
  
would lift the covers for me to climb in. Liz was the only thing that   
  
was constant in my life. What do I have to keep me steady now?-   
  
Tobias heard stairs creaking, and he half expected that Liz was   
  
coming down to try and talk to him again. As he pulled off his headphones,   
  
Tobias saw Red at the bottom of the stairs. He smiled at him, and stood to   
  
give him a hug. Red embraced his son, a sorrowful look on his countenance.   
  
"Dad," he asked, excited, "did Mom ask you? I can live with you, right?"   
  
Red noticed the gleeful look in his son's eyes, and thought of   
  
saying yes. Moments later, he knew that he could not do that. Right now   
  
Tobias adored him, but if he were to come to Alabama with him, he would end   
  
up loathing him. Tobias did not like the look on his Father's face at the   
  
moment; it was the look he got when he was going to say something he did not   
  
like. He plopped back down on his bed, with a sound of disgust.   
  
"You're making me go with Mom, aren't you?"   
  
-I just let him down again. Why do I always make myself the bad guy?-   
  
"Tobias," Red pondered over his words, slowly, "it's not like that. I'm   
  
leaving for Alabama in a month or two - I got a job offer, and I just can't   
  
refuse it."  
  
-He can't refuse his job. He can't refuse his obligations to all   
  
those firm parties. But, he can refuse me. I hate him sometimes.-   
  
"Whatever," Tobias stated, monotonously.   
  
"No, not whatever, Tobe. You wouldn't like it with me, here or in Alabama.   
  
I'd be gone all the time,"  
  
"You're gone all the time anyway," the boy said, sharply.   
  
-Sometimes I want him to hurt just as bad as I do.-  
  
-Sometimes I wish I could take all his pain into me.-   
  
Red moved to his son's bed, sitting beside him. He draped an   
  
arm around Tobias' shoulder, willing all of his lament to dissipate.   
  
Instinctively, Tobias leaned into Red's affection. They sat in silence   
  
that was etched in regret, fear, and hope that the distance between would   
  
not just be in miles.   
  
"I may be far, but not too far that a phone can't reach. And, I'll come   
  
down as often as I can,"   
  
"Promise?"   
  
"Yeah," Red swore, and meant every word, "I promise."   
  
-Sometimes I can stay true to what I say, especially when there's   
  
good reason to.  
  
-Sometimes I believe him for all he's worth.-  
  
  
  
Elizabeth hummed along to the radio, casually glancing at Hope   
  
sitting beside her, and in the rearview mirror at Tobias and Faith. She   
  
had just turned onto Cedar Wood, knowing that within minutes she would be   
  
at their new home. Frankly, it frightened her. There was so much that   
  
could go wrong, and she knew that a lot would go wrong. Hope would be the   
  
find it the easiest to adjust; with Faith it would take time, but she persevered,   
  
because she was so kindhearted; Tobias was the one she worried about the most,   
  
though.   
  
Tobias had his headphones on, currently drowning himself in an angry   
  
tune. He looked over his shoulder to look at his guitar. It brought him hope   
  
that he would be able to survive today and live to see tomorrow. He was not   
  
sure at what he expected of Sweetwood, Oklahoma. But, the people that he had   
  
seen in the few convenient stores they had stopped out had been too cheery,   
  
and nice for his taste. He was used to boisterous, obnoxious, and sometimes   
  
rude people in home town. And, he wanted desperately to find something wrong   
  
with Sweetwood. Alas, as they had entered the small town, he found himself   
  
being drawn to the natural loveliness of it.   
  
-I hated it, but liked it, you know what I mean?-   
  
Then, the van stopped, and the children realized that the house they   
  
looked upon would be their home from now on. It was a harrowing thought, yet   
  
not such a terrible one. The house was big, that was to be sure of. It was   
  
two stories, and the yard was perfect: an emerald green lawn, with Crape-Myrtle   
  
trees littering it, as well as colourful flowers near the entrance.   
  
The Allans stepped out of the van, one after the other, Elizabeth   
  
taking the first step. She had been there before, visiting for a few days   
  
at a time. This time it was different though, she would not be going back   
  
to the place she had lived in for so long. As she loved her home in Texas   
  
so dearly, she hoped that she would come to love this place the same.   
  
Faith studied the house closely. She recognized as being Victorian   
  
in model, but it was the yard that held her attention. A rather large birth   
  
bath caught her fancy, as mocking birds flew to and fro. She followed her  
  
Mother, deciding that she would be brave and not wallow in self-pity like   
  
her Brother. Hope stayed close to her Mother, being intimidated by the   
  
large structure, as well as unfamiliar surroundings.   
  
"Mom, is that our new home?" the wide-eyed Hope inquired.   
  
"Yes," Elizabeth answered, as Hank walked out, "it is, sweetie."   
  
Tobias scoffed, as he leaned against the van, willing himself to   
  
become invisible. Hank walked briskly toward the four people, noticing the   
  
looks of trepidation in all their faces. Discreetly, he hugged Elizabeth,   
  
and kissed her. He smiled down at Hope, who returned a shy grin. He looked   
  
at Faith, then to Tobias.   
  
"Well," he said, nervously, "I suppose you should come in and get familiarized   
  
with everything."   
  
Faith nodded and followed her Mother and Sister. She looked back   
  
at her Brother, who was taking his time at walking to the house. She slowed   
  
her pace, so that she could walk beside him.   
  
"What do you think?"   
  
-What do I think? I think it sucks.-  
  
She was answered by a grunt of some sort, and a slight glare. Faith   
  
frowned thoughtfully, then caught up quickly with the rest of her family. She   
  
was pained by Tobias curtness with her, that had occurred, and remained for a   
  
few weeks.   
  
-I just want Mom to be happy. Why does he act like I'm the reason all   
  
this happening?-   
  
A black Camaro sped up into the driveway. Tobias heard it instantly,   
  
but only when the horn was honked, did the others turn their heads. The three   
  
females were perplexed at the presence of someone else, but Hank recognized it   
  
instantly. He silently hoped that it was his imagination, otherwise something   
  
was going to go terribly awry. But, as Murphy Meade stepped out of her car, Hank   
  
felt a pang of guilt wash over him like an ocean.   
  
Murphy was taken aback at the visage of her house. She smiled to   
  
see that it looked exactly the way it did two years ago. Even as she had   
  
pulled into the driveway, the evidence of other people there did not register   
  
in her mind. When she was set on something, all she could do was think about   
  
it. Now, though she noticed four strangers fixing to go into her house. Her   
  
first thought was that her Father was selling the house. But, as she saw that   
  
an attractive blonde was holding hands with Hank, she blanched.   
  
-Is that woman he's dating - she's pretty. And, her children are   
  
almost all splitting images of her - well except for the munchkin.-  
  
"Murphy?" Hank called, as he broke away from Elizabeth.   
  
Hank ambled quickly to his daughter, fearing the worse. Murphy   
  
watched Hank hurry over to her, and hoped that he would not be angry at   
  
her for coming unannounced. When Hank finally did reach her, he stopped   
  
before coming to close. He was hesitant about embracing her; it seemed   
  
almost as if they were worlds apart.   
  
-I can't believe she's here. Why is she here? Did something happen   
  
to Cecealy?-   
  
"Daddy," she said, and then surprised him by hugging him.   
  
Slowly, Hank hugged her back. When they parted, both noticed   
  
that their eyes were soft, and teary. But, no tears fell, they were both   
  
too strong, and stubborn to cry in front of one another at this mere reunion.   
  
Suddenly, Hank found himself liking the idea of having Murphy back. There was   
  
a look of innocence in her eyes right now, but there was also age that lined   
  
them as well.   
  
-God, what am I doing? The last time I saw him, I said some   
  
things that I could never forgive myself for.-   
  
"Murph, what are you doing home? Is Cecealy okay?"   
  
"Yeah, she's fine. I left a couple days ago . . ."   
  
"Did you tell her you were leaving?"   
  
-I deserved that. I deserve a lot of things.-  
  
-Murphy didn't deserve that. She deserves better.-   
  
"Yes, and . . ." Murphy trailed off, looking at the ground.   
  
  
  
She could not bring herself to ask what she came there to ask.   
  
It all seemed so simplistic a few days ago. Now it looked like a big   
  
mistake, that she could never make up for. Murphy sighed, running a hand   
  
through her tangled hair. Hank could tell that there was something she   
  
needed to say - wanted to say. Without thinking, he laid a hand on her   
  
shoulder. She looked up at him, perplexed beyond belief.   
  
"Daddy I wanna' come home," she blurted out.   
  
Hank tilted his head; he did not think he had heard her correctly.   
  
But, when Murphy stared up at him with hope in her orbs, he knew what she   
  
said - and knew she meant it. Smiling fondly at his only daughter, he   
  
embraced her once more. Murphy sighed with relief, and let the tears fall.   
  
She had missed home terribly, but she could not show weakness - she would   
  
not show weakness when her mind was set on something.   
  
"I swear, Daddy," she said, sternly, pulling back from him, "no more - no   
  
more drinking, racing, or any other of those screw-up things I did. I just   
  
wanna' be a kid again, and not have to worry about disappointing you anymore."  
  
He hugged her again, just holding her close. Elizabeth watched   
  
them closely, coming to the realization that this was the infamous Murphy   
  
Meade, while her children stayed oblivious to who the girl was. Murphy   
  
clung to her Father, letting the memories of the past few years engulf her.   
  
-I hated him for the longest time. While I was in the clinic,   
  
I thought of a thousand ways to get back at him. I even started a list.   
  
But, eventually I found that I couldn't hate him; but, I couldn't forgive   
  
him either. And, I just couldn't stand be anywhere near him. When I got   
  
back from the clinic, I said some things to him that I hate myself for now.-  
  
"I'm through, darlin'. No more trips all over the damn country, I'll be   
  
home for you. But, Murphy," he added, cautiously, "there's are going to   
  
be a lot rules. If you come back there won't be of that partying bull   
  
shit anymore."   
  
  
  
-I never wanted to let her go in the first in the first place.   
  
After two years of hardly talking to her, and seeing her only a couple   
  
of times, I want her back - for good.-   
  
"Daddy?" she asked, glancing over at the four people standing around   
  
looking at her, "Who the hell are they?"  
  
It was in the living room where an uncomfortable silence hung.   
  
Murphy in a reclining chair, tapping her foot impatiently. Elizabeth sat   
  
on a couch, with Hope and Faith on either side; Tobias next to Faith.   
  
They all stared at one another, sizing each other up. When Murphy decided   
  
to come home for good, the least she expected to have four more people   
  
living there.   
  
-I don't want to hate them, really - I don't. Even that sounds   
  
like a lie to me.-   
  
Elizabeth had no idea what to say. Seeing the rowdy teenager   
  
before her made her recoil with leeriness. There were things that Hank   
  
had told, that made her wince instinctively. If her children even did   
  
half of what Murphy had, she would not be able to stand the sight of them.   
  
But, at this thought, Elizabeth felt guilty. So, she smiled briefly at   
  
Murphy, offering her kindness. Murphy was astounded, completely. Usually   
  
an adult took one look at her and pegged her for some sort of hooligan.   
  
"Murphy," Elizabeth said, wringing her hands together, "this is Hope,   
  
Faith, and Tobias."   
  
"And, you're the Texas-woman?" asked Murphy, nonchalantly.   
  
Faith scoffed at Murphy's bluntness, stealing a glance a the older   
  
girl. Deciding that Murphy was attractive in her own sense, because she   
  
reminded her of Elizabeth a tiny bit. Murphy wore no make-up, and looked   
  
as though she did not care anything about her hair. The guitar that Murphy   
  
had carried in, made Faith respect her: she had never been able to even   
  
play the triangle.   
  
-I always wanted an older Sister. Someone I could talk to, or ask   
  
them about stuff that I can't talk to Mom about.-   
  
Hope seemed more at home than she had at first stepping out of the   
  
van. She eyed the large book case full of knick knacks, then hopped off the   
  
couch to inspect them. Running her tiny fingers over some of the more   
  
intricate ones, she giggled at a dancing pair of bears. All the while   
  
Murphy eyed the young girl, a blank expression on her face.   
  
"My Mother collected bear figurines," stated Murphy, smiling, "I never   
  
understood her obsession with bears. I'm a dragon and wolf person myself."   
  
"Where is she?" asked Faith, hoping to ease the tension in the room.   
  
Murphy frowned at the girl, and Faith upturned her eyes. She did   
  
not know what she had said to make the older girl turn icy. Murphy dug her   
  
hand into her pocket, fondling an object.   
  
"She died a couple months after I was born,"   
  
Elizabeth regretted having any ill thoughts toward Murphy. And,   
  
she came to the conclusion that maybe that was why Murphy had been so wild:   
  
she had grown up without a Mother, and a Father that away more than he was home.   
  
The room hung still with solitude.   
  
Tobias had tried his hardest to avert his eyes from the girl. Yet,   
  
he found himself sneaking glances at her. He found her not beautiful, because   
  
he had seen better looking girls; it was her facade that he had heard of, that   
  
made him want speak with her. He studied her face as she looked down after   
  
saying that her Mother had died. Feeling sympathy for Murphy, feeling the   
  
need to say sorry - to apologize.   
  
-Have you ever done something really stupid, knowing that it was stupid,   
  
but you still did it anyway? I knew it was idiotic of me to like her. I   
  
mean, for one she's three years older than me; two, she's this slacker girl   
  
with a guitar, while I'm the overachiever boy with too much smarts for my   
  
own good - we're total opposites.-   
  
Hope turned her attention away from the bear figurines, ambling her   
  
way to Murphy. She studied Murphy's rings, fingering the silver objects.   
  
Pulling slightly at Murphy's necklace, Hope grinned at her innocently.   
  
"Can I see it?" Hope asked, poking one of Murphy's rings.   
  
Hesitant at first, Murphy shrugged her shoulders, and pulled off the   
  
ring. Hope gleefully bounced around, and slid the ring on; it fell from her   
  
finger. Murphy chuckled, then picked the ring up, placing it back on her hand.   
  
"I don't have any jewelry," stated Hope, "but I like yours. Are they real?   
  
And, what kind of flag is that on the ring around your neck?"   
  
Inwardly, Faith groaned: her Sister could be such a pest sometimes.   
  
At least, though she was bugging someone else that was not her. Faith held   
  
back a laugh, at the unbelievable look on Murphy's face. Murphy lowered her   
  
voice so that only Hope could hear, and Hope was reduced to a mound of giggles.   
  
-Murphy is so cool. She didn't just ignore me when I asked her stuff   
  
like my Brother and Sister usually do.-   
  
"I'm going to grab a smoke, and finish unpacking." Murphy announced, as Hank   
  
came into the room. She added, "Welcome to my humble abode - don't take any   
  
of my stuff."   
  
It was difficult to say whether or not she was joking, or being   
  
absolutely serious. Hank nodded, setting down some suitcases near the couch.   
  
Elizabeth looked increadously at Hank, then to Murphy's disappearing figure.   
  
Hope bounded after her, bombarding her with some more empty chatter. Faith and   
  
Tobias, leisurely, picked up their suitcases, and decided to go choose a room   
  
from the three available upstairs bedrooms.   
  
-I took one look at this girl, and I knew she more than 'rebellious',   
  
like Hank had stumbled over. All I could think was as she announced that she   
  
was going out to have a cigarette, was God, I don't want her around my kids.-   
  
Once the kids had made their way upstairs, Elizabeth stood up,   
  
turning to face Hank. She opened and closed her mouth, attempting to   
  
get words to come out. It was to no avail though, she stood there,   
  
amusing Hank at her loss for words. Finally, she found her voice,   
  
and molded it to sound astounded - disgusted.   
  
"You let her smoke?"   
  
"If I didn't let her, Liz, she would just do it behind my back, and   
  
get someone else to buy them for her. Besides, she's almost eighteen,"   
  
-It's not a big deal.-  
  
-Am I the only one who sees this as a big deal?-  
  
  
  
Tobias sat on the couch, watching the television intently. Faith   
  
sat on his right, reading a book. Hope bounded down the stairs, just as   
  
Murphy shut the door. Holding a Monopoly board, Hope grinned, casting a   
  
pleading glance at her Brother and Sister. Tobias groaned, ignoring his   
  
youngest Sister: he hated Monopoly. Faith followed suit, pretending she   
  
did not see the board game.   
  
"Play Monopoly with me," Hope whined.   
  
"No!" Faith and Tobias said, in unison.   
  
Murphy ambled her way to a chair, plopping down; a creaking noise came   
  
from the chair. Hope would not take no for an answer. She started setting the   
  
game up anyway, through glares from her siblings. Murphy watched the television   
  
for a moment, then took notice of the book in Faith's hands. She stood up   
  
abruptly, grabbing the book from Faith. She turned it over to get a better   
  
look at it. A furious glance from Murphy made Faith cower.   
  
"Did you get this from the attic?"   
  
"Y-yes," Faith mumble, eyes cast down, studying her hands carefully.   
  
"That's my library, don't go in there unless you ask me first," she ordered,   
  
through clenched teeth. "And, while we're on that subject, let lay a few ground   
  
rules, 'kay?"   
  
Murphy sat back down, staring at the other three. Closing the   
  
book, she sat it beside her. Then, she leaned forward so that they would   
  
hear everything she was about to say.   
  
"One, never take books from my library. If you want to read them, read   
  
them there in the attic. Two, don't go into my room: you can't borrow my   
  
clothes or anything else. We clear?"   
  
-So much for a nice older Sister.-   
  
"Crystal," Faith murmured, standing up to leave.   
  
Faith hurried up the stairs. Murphy, then left her chair to sit   
  
beside Tobias. Hope shuffled some orange cards, not realizing her Sister   
  
had just departed. Holding the remote in his hand, Tobias found himself   
  
growing nervous as he sat beside her. He supposed that she was a little   
  
harsh on Faith, but he was the same way when it came to his belongings,   
  
as well.  
  
-Is there something I'm missing? Weren't we supposed to be one   
  
big happy family?-   
  
"So," Tobias cleared his throat, "you play the guitar?"   
  
Shrugging, Murphy yanked the remote from his hand. She flipped   
  
through the channels ignoring him. Coming to the realization that she   
  
would not be talking to him any time soon, he decided to go work on his   
  
room. Truthfully, he liked his room: it was big enough - bigger than his   
  
basement room, anyhow. Murphy watched Tobias walk up the stairs, looking   
  
indifferent. She turned back to the television.   
  
Hank took some folded clothes from Elizabeth, and placed them into a   
  
dresser. He could remember distinctly the day he had thrown out all of his   
  
wife's clothes. It had been a lamenting experience really. But, as he helped   
  
Elizabeth with putting up her clothes, he felt like something was patching him   
  
up: giving him something back that he had lost.   
  
-I didn't touch any of Margaret's things for years. I couldn't   
  
even bare to sleep in the room we had together. I felt like I would be   
  
betraying her memory if I just threw her things away. I couldn't imagine   
  
her not being able to wear her favourite flannel night gown, or those ratty   
  
bear house shoes. Sometime later I realized that I couldn't just keep   
  
dwelling on the past; what's done is done. So, I moved all my things back   
  
into the Master bedroom, and gave all her clothes to Goodwill. I hung onto   
  
some things . . . the important things . . . I don't have very many pictures   
  
of her, because I catch glimpses of her when I look at Murphy. I see the dark   
  
red hair, and the pug nose - I have to ask myself - did we make actually   
  
make that: a beautiful girl, growing up too damn fast?-   
  
"I haven't heard Murphy screaming, or killing anyone - guess there getting   
  
along, huh?" Hank joked, pulling her onto the bed.   
  
"Must be," Elizabeth added, laughing, "Tobias hasn't slammed any doors,   
  
or threatened to run away."   
  
They laid side-by-side, staring up at the ceiling. Both had a   
  
happy look plastered on their faces. Hank reached for Elizabeth's hand,   
  
twining his fingers with hers. Turning to look at one another, their   
  
faces held smitteness, adoration, but most of all love. Hank kissed   
  
Elizabeth for a moment, allowing all of his emotions to come forth.   
  
"Give it time,"   
  
Elizabeth laughed, playfully swatting Hank on the arm. She kissed   
  
him, and he pulled her close to him.   
  
"It's cute how Hope follows Murphy around. Maybe now she'll get a taste   
  
at what it's like to be driven out of her mind,"   
  
The both chuckled, closing their eyes merely drinking in each   
  
other's presences. Elizabeth instinctively folded into Hank, to which   
  
he molded himself to her loving how soft she was.   
  
-This is . . .-  
  
  
  
-This is . . .-  
  
-Perfect.-  
  
Tobias sorrowfully strummed his guitar, with his headphones on.   
  
It bothered him that he could not write his own music, only mimic others.   
  
He sighed, placing his guitar on the floor beside him. Laying back on the   
  
bed, Tobias closed his eyes, willing sleep to come. All he wanted to do was   
  
pretend that this was a dream; a very, very bad dream. That was when he heard   
  
screaming. Instantly, he knew it came from Hope: he rushed out the door and   
  
downstairs.   
  
Faith had had the same idea, and they collided into one another   
  
at the top of the stairs. Both siblings running, made a deafening thud   
  
with each step. But, as they neared the bottom, both of their jaws dropped:   
  
Murphy was leaning over Hope, tickling her mercilessly, leaving a knocked   
  
over Monopoly pieces scattered everywhere.   
  
-This . . .-  
  
-Sucks! I can't believe she's playing favourites. Not that I'm   
  
jealous, or anything. Because I would have felt the same way if she was   
  
tickling Faith. Right?-   
  
-Is weird. I didn't think she would like Hope . . . I guess I   
  
was wrong . . . again.-   
  
With down-trodden expressions, Tobias and Faith trudged back up   
  
the stairs. Tobias lingered as Faith passed him. He cast a glance at  
  
Murphy; she finally let Hope up, and they were starting a new game.   
  
He sighed, quietly. But, one could sooner hold back the tide, rather   
  
than the disappointment that lingered on his face.   
  
Elizabeth knocked on Faith's door, half expecting to hear a shout   
  
of leave me alone. But, instead Faith opened the door a crack. Seeing it   
  
was her Mother, she opened it wider, inviting her in. Elizabeth glanced   
  
around the room: it looked nice, save for all the unopened boxes. Nothing   
  
was unpacked.   
  
"Why haven't you started unpacking?"   
  
Faith shrugged her shoulders, then sat down in a chair in front   
  
of her vanity - wringing her hands. Elizabeth sighed, deeply, then   
  
crossed her arms across her chest. She was not buying her Daughter's   
  
casualness for one minute.   
  
-Oh, no. I'm the one that invented the wringing hands deal.   
  
She's nervous, and peeved.-  
  
"Spill, Faith," Elizabeth told her, tapping her foot.   
  
-If put all my stuff up, it'll finalize that we're never going back.-  
  
"I'm just tired, that's all,"   
  
Elizabeth sighed, and lost all of her sternness. She sat on   
  
Faith's bed, trying to meet her daughter's eyes. It was no use, Faith   
  
kept her eyes glued to the floor, with her back to her Mother. So, they   
  
sat in silence, Faith wishing for Elizabeth to leave; Elizabeth hoping for   
  
her Faith to tell her what was wrong.   
  
-I wish Faith would just talk to me like use to. When she was   
  
little, she would never shut up, and now . . . -  
  
-I wish I could just not talk to her sometimes. I want to pout,   
  
and I want brood. Does that sound too immature? Brooding is what Tobias does.-  
  
"I'm sorry, Mom, it's just," Faith paused, "do I really have to go to   
  
school tomorrow?"   
  
Elizabeth shook her head out of disbelief. She thought it funny   
  
how Tobias and Faith always tried their hardest to get out of school.   
  
She stood and hugged Faith, kissing her cheek.   
  
"Hank and I are taking Hope to Peter Piper's, want to come?"   
  
Faith shot her mother a glaring glance. Elizabeth knew that look   
  
all too well: Faith hated to be treated like a child. As she stepped out   
  
of the door, she called over her shoulder . . .  
  
"Yes," she said, grinning, "yes, you do."   
  
Hank studied his daughter's posture, while she lounged on the   
  
couch. He shook in amusement, as he noticed one of her legs draped over   
  
the arm of it. Murphy was flipping through the channels, with an animal   
  
extinct. Barely even pausing for someone to get a word out - then the   
  
television flickered with something new. Pulling on his coat, and grabbing   
  
his keys, Hank pushed her leg off of the arm of the couch. Murphy   
  
mock-glared at him, and began to push buttons on the remote at him.   
  
"We're goin' out for Pizza - you up for it, Murph?"   
  
"Whose we?" she asked, turning her attention back to glow of the screen.   
  
"Liz, Hope, and maybe Tobias and Faith,"   
  
"Sounds great, Daddy," Murphy smirked, sarcastically, "let me grab my tutu,   
  
and princess crown."   
  
"All right, all right," said Hank, chuckling, "suppose you're too old for fun   
  
and games, huh?"   
  
"Well, if you had said Chucky Cheese, I might have considered it for, oh . . .   
  
a second longer,"   
  
Hank shook his head, smiling joyfully, then ruffled Murphy's hair.   
  
He swept his way to the kitchen, humming a soft tune. Elizabeth came down   
  
the stairs shortly after. She cast a glance at Murphy, and Murphy caught her   
  
eyes. Quickly, Murphy looked away.   
  
-Looking at her only makes me think of how imperfect I am.-   
  
"I suppose you're staying behind, too?" Elizabeth asked, as she slipped on a   
  
pair of strapless sandals.   
  
"How'd ya' know?" Murphy smirked.   
  
"I think all teenagers live in the same book: no one wants to go to . . ."   
  
she was cut off by Murphy.   
  
"A kiddie place?"   
  
-Murphy can be charming when she wants to be. I can see why Hank   
  
lets her have her way almost all the time.-  
  
"Well . . . yeah. Do you want us to bring you something back?"   
  
"Nah," Murphy declined, casually, "I'll just eat a P. B. and J sandwich -   
  
thanks, though - I appreciate it."  
  
-And, can be absolutely nice sometimes.-  
  
Elizabeth nodded, walking to the kitchen. Murphy sighed and flipped   
  
of the television. She yawned, standing up to move to the basement. She thought   
  
that for her first day back - it was okay - not good - but okay. As long as she   
  
had her music, she could deal. Smiling, Murphy had a bounce in her step as she   
  
headed down to the basement.   
  
Tobias walked down the stairs, his stomach eating itself with every   
  
step: he was starving. Reaching the kitchen, finally, he hungrily grabbed a   
  
bag of pretzels on the counter. Just as he got the intolerable package open,   
  
he heard a guitar being played. The tune was unrecognizable to him. So, he   
  
followed the music, and it continued to get louder as he neared a door. He   
  
figured that it was the basement.   
  
With each step down, Tobias found himself growing accustomed to the   
  
strange sounding song. There were no lyrics, only the music. When he reached   
  
the last step, he saw Murphy sitting on a stool, her head downcast. He found   
  
himself in awe of such a serious expression on her face.   
  
-She's so mysterious.-   
  
When Murphy looked up, she saw Tobias standing with his mouth   
  
slightly ajar. Attempting to hide all emotion on her face, Murphy smirked   
  
arrogantly.   
  
"I-I'm sorry, I just," he stuttered.   
  
"S'kay, I was just messing around anyway," she waved him off.   
  
Tobias' eyes widened: he thought for sure she was going to yell   
  
at him. Murphy rested her guitar on the stool, making her way to one of   
  
many bean bag chairs. As Tobias took in the room, he fell in love with it.   
  
There were a couple of electric guitars, a few amps, and a drum-set. Off in   
  
one of the corners, there was a table, with a large stereo system; a large   
  
selection of CDs lined the wall behind it.   
  
"What is this place?" he whispered.   
  
"A slice of heaven. My band calls it The Haven, though,"   
  
"You have a band?"   
  
Murphy mutely nodded her head, picking up a magazine on the floor.   
  
Leafing through it, she found that the boy's presence did not irk her like   
  
it had before. Tobias ambled toward the wall of CDs. He hesitated when he  
  
wanted to reach out and touch some of them.   
  
"Don't mess with any of the instruments, there the band's." Tobias gritted   
  
his teeth, but smiled when she added, "You can rummage through my CDs -   
  
borrow some if you want."   
  
He almost instantly, pulled one out, and looked at the back of   
  
it. Murphy tossed the magazine aside, then stood up. She walked to Tobias,   
  
looking at what he had pulled.   
  
"Jemmi Hendrix, huh? Elvis was better," she coolly, rambled.   
  
"What?!!!"   
  
-Okay, so I'm over reacting. But, Elvis - I mean, it's -   
  
it's . . . Rockabilly!-   
  
"No way, man, Hendrix was the king," Tobias defended, placing the CD on the table.   
  
Murphy raised her left eyebrow, catching Tobias' eyes all the while.   
  
It irked him that she was so calm, and looked clearly amused at his outburst.   
  
"Don't think so,"   
  
"Oh, you don't, huh," he asked, glaring daggers at Murphy, "then, pray tell   
  
what catches your fancy?"   
  
"The good stuff,"   
  
"Which is?" he prompted, irritated beyond belief.   
  
"Ella Fitzgerald, Hank Williams - The Clash. Like I said, " she told him,   
  
shrugging her shoulders, "the good stuff."   
  
Tobias scoffed, and alternated his weight from foot to foot. Murphy   
  
only smiled at him knowingly.   
  
-I want to wipe that smile off her face. She looks so damn smug.-   
  
"First off; country is all about getting drunk, infidelity, and dogs dying.   
  
Second; Jazz is just too old fashioned. And, third; punk is only beating people   
  
up, while sporting a mohawk,"   
  
As Tobias continued to rant his thoughts, Murphy's smirk soured.   
  
She scowled, with her hands shaking out of rage. Wondering how he insult   
  
some of the greatest music out there, she took a deep breath.   
  
-Where the hell does he get off? He's nothing but a kid, who   
  
probably likes pop, or hip-hop. I hate him.-   
  
"Oh, yeah? You're probably just a sheep like the rest of the world,   
  
following the latest trend. You're supposed to be smart, right - try   
  
thinking for yourself for once!" Murphy's voice became louder with every   
  
word.   
  
-The gall she has, the little . . . I hate her.-  
  
"You're nothing but a rich, spoiled brat! Get your head out of your ass,   
  
and stop acting like you know every goddamned thing!"   
  
They were only a foot apart, and they were both for certain that   
  
Faith could hear them by now. Tobias' countenance was scarlet. His breathing   
  
was irregular, and was disappointed in himself: he never lost his temper.   
  
"Why don't you go to hell, and take that slut-Mother of yours with you!"   
  
-Oh, God, I shouldn't have said that. Liz was so . . . nice? -   
  
Civil to me?-   
  
If Tobias had had more time to contemplate the facts that Murphy was   
  
a girl, and was just angry, he would have never done what he did. Simply,   
  
Tobias threw all of his weight behind a right hook. Murphy stumbled over   
  
some mess on the floor, falling down. Tobias gawked at the girl laying on   
  
the floor before him; he had never punched anyone. But, as Murphy held a   
  
hand over her left eye, he felt ashamed, but still enraged. Tobias ran to   
  
the door off to the side that took him to the side of the house.   
  
Walking down a well beaten path in Sweetwood Park, Tobias brooded.   
  
Finding a comfortable looking bench, he sat down, feeling as if the weight   
  
of the world was on his shoulders. Sighing, he hung his head in his hands.   
  
Suddenly, he felt something hit him hard in the back of the head. Tobias   
  
whipped around to see what it was; a rolling basketball came to a stop near   
  
his feet. Then, two boys ran up to him out of breath.   
  
Tobias noticed that they seemed truly sorry for the incident. It was   
  
almost as if they were exact opposites: one had bright red hair, with piercing   
  
blue eyes; while the other had dark brown hair, with eyes to match. The   
  
dark-haired one picked up the basketball, eyeing Tobias all the while.   
  
"Sorry, about that, man. Dofus here," he said, shoving the red-haired one,   
  
"is a spaz when it comes to basketball."   
  
"I resent that, ass," he retorted, shoving the other boy back.   
  
Tobias solemnly nodded, hoping that he did not seem too much of   
  
an outcast in their eyes. The red-haired one shocked him, by extending   
  
his hand to Tobias.   
  
"I'm Henson Campbell," he then pointed at the other boy, "and, this is . . ."  
  
"Montgomery Williams, but you can call me Monty - everyone does,"   
  
Tobias shook both of their hands, and they took a seat next to him.   
  
An involuntary sigh escaped his lips.   
  
"You play?" Henson questions, tossing the ball up and catching it.   
  
"Yeah, a bit,"   
  
"Try outs are tomorrow after school, we're gonna' be Sophomores," informed   
  
Monty, staring out at a pond nearby.   
  
-Some people seem nice. Everyone's nice here in Oklahoma. I think   
  
I'm gonna' be sick.-   
  
"You new here?" Monty continued.   
  
"Yeah," Tobias was beginning to like the boys: it took his mind off of what   
  
had happened earlier, "my Mom moved us from Texas to live with her boyfriend."   
  
"Oh, you mean that big house on Cedar Wood; you just got lucky, man. Hank   
  
Meade is the richest man in town," said Henson, awestruck.   
  
"Nice guy. Helped me fix a flat on my bike once," Monty offered, cheerily.   
  
-Yeah, everyone thinks Hank so damn nice - so damn perfect. We're   
  
all going to live in a perfect house, with perfect perfectness, and a   
  
perfectly bitch of a step . . . Murphy.-   
  
"To bad his Daughter's a total . . . " Tobias began, but was interrupted   
  
by Monty.   
  
"Babe,"   
  
"Like I said," Henson started, "lucky."   
  
"She's an arrogant, little wench, that thinks she knows everything; who's   
  
probably gonna' be my step-Sister from hell. And, to top it all off both   
  
of my Sisters are in league against me, and I have a Mom who could care less   
  
about at the moment,"   
  
There was a silence as the day turns to night swiftly. Tobias   
  
hung his head in his hands once more. None of his seething would get   
  
him anywhere. Henson and Monty had a ponderous expression on their faces.   
  
Henson was the first to break the heavy solitude.   
  
"There's never anything kicking around in Sweetwood, Okie',"   
  
"Yeah," agreed Monty, nudging Tobias, "you might be just the one to kick   
  
up a little dust here. Your house is overwhelmed with drama. We'd never   
  
get bored around your house."   
  
"Pretty soon, you and soon-to-be-step-Sis will be painting a line right down   
  
the center of the house like in bad television," deducted Henson, with a sly   
  
smile on his face.   
  
The three boys break down laughing. It was not anything that they   
  
did that intrigued one another exactly. Yet, there was an easiness that   
  
they felt with one another, that not any of them could explain.   
  
-You ever have one of those crappie days? Then, BAAM! - Something   
  
cool happens, that makes you forget the bad stuff?-   
  
Elizabeth paced her bedroom, ferociously. Hank sat in a chair,   
  
following every footstep. He found himself getting dizzy at watching her   
  
movements. She was exhausted, and terrified that finally Tobias had run   
  
away. Tobias had threatened many times that he was going to run away. But,   
  
now he had a place to go that was not just miles away from his home: he could   
  
go to Alabama. Even though, Red had assured her that he felt it best for   
  
Tobias to stay with her; she had seen a lingering doubt on his face. So,   
  
Elizabeth continued to pace, with Hank offering sympathetic glances. He   
  
knew that anything he said at the moment, would sound hallow, and be wrong.   
  
Hank sighed, then scratched his head.   
  
Faith pulled a few spiral notebooks from a box, then walked them   
  
over to her vanity. A lumpy backpack laid open there. Shoving the notebooks   
  
forcefully into her bag, she frowned at her appearance in the mirror. She   
  
took a few steps back, then turned to her side. Placing her hands on her   
  
stomach, a look of disgust came to her face.   
  
-I think I'm too fat a lot of the time. I mean, I'm tall, so I   
  
should weigh more, but . . . still . . .-   
  
Elizabeth laid face down on her and Hank's bed. She mumbled inaudible   
  
obscenities into her pillow, a few tears leaking out of her eyes. Hank was   
  
sitting beside her, and stroked her back, trying to offer some comfort.   
  
Suddenly, she flipped over, and sat up.   
  
"I can't believe he'd run away like that. I at least thought, he would give   
  
some kind of warning. I mean he started unpacking, and seemed to be all right   
  
with Murphy, and . . ."   
  
Hank cut her off with a gentle kiss. Elizabeth was silenced, then   
  
stared blankly at him. Stroking her cheek, he pulled her into a hug.   
  
-I ramble when I'm scared. I ramble when I'm not scared, too.-   
  
"Maybe we should move back - maybe we shouldn't be together anymore, if . . ."   
  
Putting a finger to her lips, Elizabeth looked pleadingly at him.   
  
Hank shook his head, thoughtfully.   
  
"Don't even think about. Tobias is a good kid, and has common sense. I got   
  
you this far, and I am not about to let you go,"   
  
-I'm not gonna' let her go - ever.-   
  
-Thank God.-   
  
Murphy turned a page of a large, hardback book. A soft-glow lamp was   
  
on at her desk. The attic had been a library as long as she could remember.   
  
And, every year she collected more and more books; Murphy still had the ones   
  
she read when she was only ten years old. Now, it was a solace for her - a   
  
place to do homework, or write essays. A black computer was in the corner of   
  
the attic, while her desk was pushed to wall where a window laid.   
  
The door opening, swept her attention away from the literature she   
  
read. At first she thought it was Tobias, then felt relieved that it was   
  
only her Father. Hank walked in, the floor creaking softly. Murphy smiled   
  
at him, with a tilted head.   
  
"Have you seen Tobias?" he bluntly asks.   
  
Murphy blanched, noticeably. Hank took notice of the outlines of a   
  
black eye. Murphy turned her face away from him, attempting to hide the bruise.   
  
She felt ashamed, and extremely guilty.   
  
"N-not in a few hours," Murphy stuttered, lamely.   
  
-Don't let him find out what I said about Liz - don't let him find   
  
out what I said about Liz.-   
  
"Oh, yeah? Wanna' tell me who gave you the shiner?"   
  
"Umm," she averted her eyes from his, "don't ask, don't tell?"   
  
"Murphy . . ." Hank warned.   
  
Groaning, Murphy closed her book and stood from her seat. She leaned   
  
against her desk, folding her arms. Hank could very well tell that Murphy was   
  
probably the reason Tobias was gone at the moment. He shook his head, looking   
  
quite disappointing.   
  
"We got in a little argument, and one thing led to another . . ."   
  
-It's always 'one thing led to another.' If I had a nickel everytime   
  
she used those lines . . .-  
  
"Murphy," he sighed, trying to hide his disdain, "what did I say? I know   
  
what I said because I was standing right there when I said it. Promises   
  
mean something, Murph. If you wanna' live here, you're going to have accept   
  
Liz and her kids. Maybe you should go back with Cecealy . . ."   
  
A cry from downstairs, caused both of them to turn their heads   
  
to the door. Hank rushed out, with Murphy following him. The rest of   
  
the house seemed a blur to Hank: all he cared about was seeing if Elizabeth   
  
was all right. He knew that it was her cry, and it washed a trepidation   
  
over his body, like he had never known.   
  
Breaking forth into the kitchen, Hank breathed a much needed   
  
sigh of relief. Murphy bumped into her Father as she entered, but   
  
grimaced when she saw what was going on. Tobias was back, to which   
  
Elizabeth was ecstatic. She hugged him, kissing his head, merely   
  
overjoyed that he had not run away. Suddenly, she pulled back, and   
  
her face went still with anger.   
  
-I think she has this face that lets everybody know she's   
  
pissed. I call it the Angry-Mom-Look. I'm scared of that look.-  
  
"Where the hell were you, Tobias. What were you doing, it's past   
  
midnight? You have to start school in the morning. Well?" Elizabeth   
  
said, rapidly, crossing her arms.   
  
"Mom," he whined, "I went to the park, and made some friends. We were   
  
playing basket ball, and one thing led to another . . ."   
  
Hank blinked in recognition of those lines. Elizabeth knew   
  
very well that Tobias was hiding something, but she was just glad that   
  
he was actually breathing - with her. Tobias cast a glance at Murphy;   
  
she gave him an apologetic look, then shuffled her feet, nervously.   
  
-It wasn't a complete lie. We did play basketball for a   
  
while. Just don't ask why I didn't tell her - just don't . . ."   
  
"Why didn't you just ask to go?" her voice softened.   
  
Tobias shrugged his shoulders, glancing once more at Murphy.   
  
She looked relieved, and found herself thinking that holding her temper   
  
was going to be harder than she thought.   
  
"Tobias," stated Elizabeth, with a sad smile . . .  
  
-I worried about Tobias and Faith making friends. I have to let   
  
this go - I have to . . .-  
  
"You're a good kid," she looked at Hank, who was smiling, "so, I'll let it   
  
go - this time."   
  
"Well," Hank interjected, "everybody off to bed."   
  
He offered his arm to Elizabeth; she took it and walked to their   
  
room in the back of the house. Tobias followed them, but Murphy grabbed   
  
his arm. Pulling him back to face her, she took a deep breath.   
  
"I'm sorry. It's just that's it's a lot to handle to come back after   
  
two years, and find strangers that I have to board with," she looked him   
  
in the eye, hoping that he would know she meant it.   
  
-I say a lot of things that I don't mean. And, I do a lot of   
  
things that I don't mean to do.-  
  
"I'm sorry, too, Murphy. It's a lot to handle to just up and leave all   
  
of my friends - my home - and my Dad," he gave her a bit of sympathy.   
  
-I do a lot of things I don't want to do, but I do them anyway.-   
  
Tobias offered a forgiving smile to Murphy, and she took, giving   
  
one of her own. They stood in the kitchen for a few moments, solitude slipping   
  
between them. Suddenly, Murphy gazed back up at him.   
  
"Will I get my ass kicked if I offer to drive you to school tomorrow?"   
  
Tobias grinned at her, shaking his head. Murphy started toward   
  
the stairs; he followed her, a joyous bounce in his step. He felt all the   
  
guilt dissipate. Murphy grinned, in spite of having to get up at seven in   
  
the morning tomorrow. Hank stood beside her door, waiting for her to come   
  
up. The sound of Tobias shutting his door, made Murphy remember what her   
  
Father had said just before the 'reunion.'   
  
"Murphy?"   
  
"Yeah, Daddy?" answered she, her voice wavering in the hallway.   
  
"I want to tell you something . . ." he is interrupted by her.   
  
"Daddy, I'm too tired, can't it wait 'til morning?"   
  
"No, Murphy, it can't. Look," he said, feeling in a lighter mood than   
  
before, "I know Tobias hit you, but frankly - I don't want to know why.   
  
I want you to know though, that I'm proud of you for trying to right your   
  
wrongs."   
  
-Sometimes she surprises the hell out of me.-  
  
-Sometimes I think that Daddy's a jigsaw puzzle, and I'll never   
  
get to put all the pieces together to see the final picture.-   
  
"I promised you, Daddy. No more staying out in all hours of the morning;   
  
drinking; racing - I'm done,"   
  
"And, I promised you. No more running around half the damned country.   
  
I'm done, Darlin',"   
  
(NOTE: During this scene, Trisha Yearwood's Song, Second Chance Plays.)   
  
Hank turned to go back down the stairs. Murphy hesitantly shifted   
  
her weight from foot to foot.   
  
"Daddy?" she whispered, so softly that he could scarcely hear her.   
  
"Yeah, Murphy?" he faced her once more.   
  
"Tell me about Momma. Like you used to do - tell me about how you met her?"   
  
Smiling Hank followed her into her room. Murphy slides into bed,   
  
pulling blankets up to her chin. Hank tucked the blankets around her, then   
  
pulled a chair to sit beside her bed. He watched her as she closed her eyes,   
  
enjoying that a peaceful look came over her.   
  
-I met Margaret in Tennessee - Nashville. She was hitchhikin   
  
her way down to Oklahoma, after spending a year in Nashville trying to   
  
make it big. When I first saw her, I thought she the cutest thing.   
  
She had on overalls, a red bandana tied around her head, and a guitar   
  
on her back. She could sing . . . God, that girl could sing. She was   
  
dirty, and hadn't eaten in three days. I fell in love with her on those   
  
days we drove our way back to Oklahoma.-   
  
Hank stood up after the tale, flipping the light out as he   
  
reached the door. But, he called out to Murphy just before he left.   
  
"Everyone deserves a second chance, Murph, but when they get it, they   
  
should not waste it,"   
  
"Are you giving me a second chance, Daddy?"   
  
"I'm giving us a second chance,"   
  
Hank Meade left his Daughter in her room, and shut her door   
  
quietly. He ambled downstairs to Elizabeth, knowing that she would be   
  
sitting at her vanity, combing her hair. It felt good to have the two   
  
people he loved most in the world so close - it was different, that was   
  
to be sure of - but different was good.   
  
Next Episode: Those First Day Jitters. 


End file.
